The Junior Year Program in English (JYPE) allows undergraduate students the opportunity to take science and engineering courses in English alongside Japanese students. Selested students should be responsible and show willingness and preparedness to study abroad solo.

Application
Procedure

Students interested in this program should contact the College of Engineering Study Abroad adviser to learn more.

Where You Will Study

Tohoku University was established in Sendai in 1907 and is well known for its open and progressive policies. It was the first Imperial University to admit women and foreign students. Already in 1911, Tohoku University graduated its first foreign students, thus becoming the Japanese university with the longest history of foreign graduates. Tohoku University is also known for its strong orientation toward academic research.

Tohoku University is located in Sendai, located about 350 km to the northeast of Tokyo and with roughly one million inhabitants. Often called the “City of Trees”, Sendai is a city known for its pleasant streets lined with many trees, and it is also regarded as an “academic city” with its center on Tohoku University. Because of its northern environment, the summers are cool and the winters are moderately cold. Sendai is regarded as one of the most pleasant Japanese cities to live in.

Academics

Students in the JYPE program are required to register for at least 13 credits. The core course for this program is the Individual Research Training, in which students do research on a current topic related to their field of studies with the support of research groups. It counts for 5 credits and is required for JYPE students. Students can choose their other courses from a list of engineering, math, and science elective courses and Japanese language classes.

If you’re looking for a record of how courses from Tohoku University have been transferred in the past, visit the credit equivalency database to help you determine what foreign courses might satisfy your academic needs here at the UW.

For more information on how these courses will appear on your UW transcript, please visit: credits for exchanges.

Housing

Students live in single-occupancy rooms in university dormitories (International House or University House Sanjo). Housing fees for these dormitories are JPY 24,000 (approx. USD $250) per month, including utilities. Students pay Tohoku University directly for these housing fees.

Program Expenses, Financial Aid & Scholarships

As a participant of a departmental exchange, you pay an exchange fee equivalent to UW tuition (1.5 quarters of UW tuition for semester-long exchanges, and 3 quarters of UW tuition for academic year exchanges). Exchange fees are determined by UW residency status: in-state students pay an exchange fee equivalent to in-state tuition, and out-of-state students pay an exchange fee equivalent to out-of-state tuition. The exchange fee and study abroad fee are charged to your UW account and due by the UW tuition deadline for your term(s) of study abroad.

You will also need to plan for additional expenses such as international airfare & transportation, meals, books & course materials, visa & passport fees, study abroad insurance, and personal expenses. Living expenses including housing costs for exchange students in Sendai are between JPY 80,000-100,000 (approx. USD $700-$900) per month.

Financial aid may be available for a limited number of exchange students through the JASSO scholarship program. JASSO (Japan Student Service Organization) includes an allowance of 80,000 JPY/month for 6 or 12 months. Not all students admitted into an exchange program can receive the scholarship, and it is limited to students starting in the fall semester.

For the total estimated costs of this particular program, you may request a budget by filling out a Budget Request Form.

For more information about budgeting, financial aid, and scholarships for study abroad visit our page on Finances.

Application Process

To apply for this exchange, click the "Apply Now" button and follow the prompts to create an application. After you create your application, click on each of the links on your study abroad application homepage and complete the remaining application requirements: questionnaires, material submissions, and electronic signature documents.

This study abroad program also requires completion of a secondary application specific to Tohoku. Additional information and instructions for the secondary application will be sent by email after the UW application is submitted. Instructions about this process will be provided to you by your study abroad adviser following your selection for the exchange.